


the sweetest thing

by bubblewrapstargirl



Series: One Shots [28]
Category: Hit the Floor (TV)
Genre: Character Study, Drabble, Fluff, M/M, Mentions of kids, Short & Sweet, spoilers for the Summer Special
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-06
Updated: 2016-09-06
Packaged: 2018-08-13 10:46:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7973983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bubblewrapstargirl/pseuds/bubblewrapstargirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All's well that ends well.</p>
            </blockquote>





	the sweetest thing

Jelena might have been teetering on the edge of malice, with her quip about Jude and Zero being the Kings of LA, but as the months roll onward, she, and the world of professional sport, would come to see how true her words were. 

Jelena might be the Queen Bee in the Devils stadium, but it didn’t take long for Jude to outshine her in both the boardroom and official interviews with the press. Jude was genuinely kind, open in a way that cannot be taught - at least not in Zero’s opinion. As far as Zero was concerned, Jude was just intrinsically good, clean and pure, like no one else he had ever met. Raquel came close, he supposed, but Jude’s star still shone far brighter. Jude had certainly never considered Jelena as friendship material... and that just went to show how sound his judgement was.

Zero is no slouch either; he might not be half as compassionate as Jude, or empathetic, but he can damn well play ball, and he stepped up into the mantle of Captain like it was his birthright. Forget LA; every major sports outlet in the world wanted him. Men and women flung themselves at him on the regular. But Zero’s not that man anymore, and he’s never looking back.

He saw the way Jude looked at him when he caught Asha's bouquet. Zero doesn’t need a ring on his finger to remind him of his duty, but Zero wants one anyway, to show the world he’s locked down. There’s no room for dicking around here; Jude has absolutely no patience for that. He might not push for signs of commitment since they came out as an official couple, but Jude still smiles bright like the sun emerging from a rain-cloud whenever Zero is loud and proud. 

They get married because both of them want it, and they deserve to flaunt their love. The guest list is low because it’s not a publicity stunt, and not everything is about image. Their vows are heartfelt, honest, and written with the use of a dictionary, because not everyone wants a wedding that can be cobbled together in a matter of days. And they sell the photographs to the highest bidder, because they’re not moronic. The price is frankly obscene, and Zero being Zero, demands the sum of it in cash. (He piles it on their marriage bed, just to watch Jude stutter in disbelief at the sight. And yeah, they fuck on it too. Being a millionaire is awesome, okay?) Jude wins People’s Sexiest Man Alive award on the basis of those photos, and Zero has the magazine spread framed. (Jude keeps hiding it in new and inventive places, but Zero always finds it in the end and returns it to its rightful spot in the trophy room.)

Lionel becomes the cool aunt neither of them knew they needed. She keeps the Kinkade name after her divorce, and since Zero took it on too, the three of them become a real family. They even do Christmas and birthdays together, and it really feels like they have something to celebrate.

In a few years, Zero and Jude will adopt some tiny children and be better role models than their own parents ever were. The Devils will grow from strength to strength, and Zero will begin to chart the Forbes top 100 richest people in the world. Lionel will marry again, to a man who actually loves her, and land a starring role on an HBO show. Jude will eventually quit the Devils and spend his days with their kids, playing copious amounts of tennis. Zero will never get any better at the game, but their daughter grows up to be a tennis pro, and wins Wimbledon. More than once. Their son will become a Professor of Mathematics at Dartmouth, and thank his parents for their generosity and patience on every paper he publishes.

But all that is far in the future.... Right now? Well, Zero watches Jude build them a home, and thanks every deity he knows the name of, for bringing this wonderful man into his world.

Life is good.


End file.
